Although social media is a great way to connect, meet new people, and stay up to date on news, it does come with a downside. Social media use is connected to anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Social media apps can easily become very addictive. Many people become worried about how much attention their social media posts receive. Social media filters can have both positive and negative effects on us — the funny filters can be positive, but the filters that hide what we think as imperfections can begin to create false illusions. We may start to always use these filters, even though they are not real. Social media can make us feel like we are missing out when we see friends together or friends on vacation. Many people also begin to compare themselves to the posts they see. Comparing ourselves to others can lower our self-esteem, cause feelings of anxiety or depression, and can distract us from the more important things in our lives. If you notice that you are experiencing these reactions such as feeling addicted to certain apps, needing filters to hide imperfections, comparing yourself to others, it may be a good idea to try to reduce the use of social media. Instead of scrolling on social media, we can start to plan gatherings with friends, spending time outside, or spending time journaling or reading a book. Social media plays a big role in all of our lives, but taking care of our mental, emotional, and physical life is more important!